Shaping Church Law Around the Year 1000

Dr Greta Austin is Associate Professor in History of Christianity at the University of Puget Sound, USA.

’...a major work of serious scholarship on early medieval canon law - a subject that touches a far larger range of human life in the past than it might at first seem.’ The Medieval Review ’La récente collection, Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West s'enrichit d'un excellent ouvrage qui renouvelle nos connaissances sur la formation du droit canonique à la veille de la Réforme grégorienne... Les historiens du droit canonique travaillant sur les collections antérieures à Gratien ne pourront plus ignorer ce livre fondamental.’ Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique ’... [Austin] makes a persuasive case that will fundamentally challenge historians to re-think the construction of collections in the era before Gratian.’ Journal of Ecclesiastical History ’This book presents a fundamental reinterpretation of an important collection of church law from the 1010s... Austin’s results are remarkable. She achieves them through careful close readings and a painstakingly acquired, deep understanding of Burchard’s work.’ Catholic Historical Review

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Background: The methodology of this study; The Decretum; The Decretum in the context of other medieval canon law books; Who was Burchard of Worms?; Finding Burchard's vision of canon law in the Preface and the Decretum canons on jurisprudence. Part II Burchard's Editing Priorities: The presentation of the Decretum's canons; The authority of the Decretum's canons; Eliminating conflicts between canons; Presenting a comprehensive vision of the Church's law; The result: the substantive law of Decretum books 6, 10, 11 and 12. Part III Implications: Making sense of Burchard's textual alterations; Theology and canon law around the year 1000; Conclusion: implications; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.